The General Mansion lost a treasure, and all four city gates of Northern Border City were sealed, with countless soldiers searching house by house.

Lu Ziyuan personally led the search for three days.

Three whole days, and nothing was found.

He was about to turn the whole Northern Border upside down, yet even a fly had nowhere to escape.

But such a large person had vanished without a trace.

General Mansion, study room.

Lu Ziyuan sat motionless in a chair, staring at the letter in his hand.

Someone who can command thousands of troops without changing expression was now trembling slightly.

On the paper was a single, brief sentence.

’If something happens to Pei Yuqing, I won’t live alone.’

The handwriting was elegant, with each stroke perfectly executed.

Lu Ziyuan was very familiar with this handwriting.

The person who wrote these words had also embroidered his name on every sachet gifted to him in past years.

At that time, she was willing to tirelessly and patiently put effort into him.

But now, she was gone.

Apart from warning him not to act recklessly, she left him no word.

Outside, snow fell heavily; inside, even with the brazier burning, Lu Ziyuan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his limbs and bones chilled.

The maid who found the letter knelt at his feet, her head lowered toward the floor, intimidated by his aura, she dared not breathe loudly, wishing to disappear on the spot.

Suddenly, a muffled groan came from above, Lu Ziyuan could no longer endure, and he spat out blood, staining the floor red.

The maid clamped her hand over her mouth, stifling the scream that was about to escape, petrified with fear.

......

On Dayang Lake, separated from the Northern Border by one city, Xie Wanqing was clad in a coarse cotton jacket and a grayish headscarf, wrapped tightly from top to bottom, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Even the skin around her eyes was the common dark complexion of the Northern Land’s people, as if weathered by hardship.

Xie Wanqing had looked in the mirror; her disguise was indeed good, and anyone who glanced would think she was just an ordinary middle-aged woman.

Except... her eyes were too bright.

A noblewoman who had not truly suffered hardships would not have the numb gaze of someone struggling daily for food.

This, she simply could not disguise, but as long as she avoided eye contact and kept her distance from people, no one would notice anything amiss.

Three days ago, she had walked out of a clothing store, went directly to the horse market, and rode out of the city.

She understood Lu Ziyuan well; she knew that once he discovered her disappearance, the city gates would be sealed.

And she had to leave before the gates were locked.

She succeeded, galloping all the way back to the shore of Dayang Lake. This lake traversed three cities, and compared to land, the water route was faster.

As for the destination?

Xie Wanqing had no destination.

Even she didn’t know where she would settle, so no matter how smart Lu Ziyuan was, he couldn’t predict her whereabouts.

Search all you want.

Every land route, every dock, every city, go search.

Xie Wanqing turned back toward the north, her exposed eyes curved slightly, containing a hint of smile.

Everything went so smoothly, something she had not anticipated.

By tomorrow, she would reach Lu City; she had read many travel notes in her maiden’s chamber.

She heard the mutton kebabs in Lu City were extremely delicious, and she should get off the boat and explore.

If possible, buying a few servant guards would be best.

The world was unstable, with brigandry rampant, scams and even open robberies everywhere.

Even on this boat, Xie Wanqing had witnessed two blatant robberies, both targeting merchants with some wealth.

And Xie Wanqing had assumed the identity of a middle-aged woman going to Lu City to find her son.